About by Mike Christiansen

Mike Christiansen is Professor Emeritus in the Music Department at Utah State University. Mike founded the guitar program at USU and was Director of Guitar Studies at USU for 39 years. In 1994, he was selected as Professor Of The Year at Utah State University. Mike received the ASTA (American String Teachers Association) Utah Chapter Outstanding Collegiate Educator of the Year Award in 2006.

In December of 2012, Mike was selected as a U.S. Carnegie Professor of the Year and was also selected as the USU Caine College of the Arts Professor of the Year. In 2013, he was invited to be a TED speaker. Mike is a renown guitar educator and has taught workshops at many schools and is a frequent clinician for guitarists and educators at various conferences. Mike has backed up many artists and averages over 130 performances annually as a soloist, with the group Phase II, the Lightwood Duo (a clarinet-guitar duo which has released six recordings), and Evening in Brazil.

Mike is the author and/or co-author of over 40 books, including Guitar Fundamentals (Beginning and Intermediate), published by Consonus Music. Mike is currently the Director of Curriculum for Consonus Music and appears on all of the online courseware for Consonsus Music.